Content provided in partnership with
Andre Leon Talley: the fashion guru gets to the bottom of what makes the fashion maven tick
Interview, Nov, 2003 by Andre Leon Talley
MP: And this was never an issue for you?
ALT: No. It became a problem later when I began to think I'd been overlooked. For instance, I was given the Eugenia Sheppard Award by the Council of Fashion Designers of America this year--and I'm very proud to be recognized--but personally, I think they could've given me this award earlier in my career. But if you say that, then people say, "Oh, he carries a chip on his shoulder." But as a black person, you are aware of your position if you're the only black person in the front row of a fashion show for so long. But there's a reason I'm there. I didn't just get there because I was black in the white world, I'm in that front row because I earned it with my passion and dedication, and I think because people respect my opinion--they know there is something behind it. There is a knowledge of the culture of fashion, of style. It is not superficial. And I don't think my career has been superficial, although at times I presented a very superficial veneer to people as a way to protect myself. Ideally, we should not think of people in terms of the color of their skin. I don't think of you as an Italian: I think of you as a great designer, and a great designer can come from anywhere. But people have these boundaries, and that is a big problem.
- Most Popular Articles in Arts
- Art since 1900: Modernism, Antimodernism, Postmodernism
- Free-standing cardboard sculpture
- What makes a successful business person? Business people who are tops in ...
- Take advantage of local advertising: TV, newspaper or magazines? If your ...
- Tino Sehgal at the ICA
- More »
MP: That's why you've been such an important influence for young people, the way Vreeland once was for you.
ALT: I know I am a role model for young people. And I'm happy to take that position and to assume the responsibility that comes with it because I hope I give hope to young people of any color. But I never approach people because of their color. I respect people until it's proven otherwise. I feel a responsibility to embrace my color, to embrace my roots; that's what my book is all about. It's very important to be a role model. I had great role models. Mrs. Vreeland was a greet role model. Now, was she black? No. But, you know, Cynthia Smith, my teacher, was black. And she was a great role model too.
MP: I know at a certain point in your career you became very vocal about the need for more black models in fashion shows and on magazine covers.
ALT: Sometimes when I sit and watch a fashion show I get totally wrapped up in what is in front of me, in the fantasy of it and what it might mean to the person who will be wearing the clothes. Then the show's over, and I realize there has not been one person of color on the runway!
I think it's important to balance political correctness with the feeling of the show, though Paris was a place where you never had that problem. Yves Saint Laurent, for example, used the most extraordinary black models. They were amazing! But I've had designers say to me, "We had such-and-such famous black model in, and she just didn't fit this collection."
That's crap! Now, Ralph Lauren has been one of the greatest supporters of black models. For example, he gave Tyson Beckford his whole campaign for several seasons and made him a star. Very few companies take the risk of using a black model as their image. This isn't representing the world.
